Samaritan Keep Nursing Home INC
133 Pratt St, Watertown, NY 13601 · Jefferson County · 272 certified beds · avg 254 residents/day · certified since Jan 1, 1975
Abuse citation flag (CMS)
The abuse flag means inspectors cited this facility for abuse that caused harm to a resident within the past year, or potential for harm in each of the last two years. Source: CMS.
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★☆☆☆☆1/5 · CMS overall rating: 1/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Feb 20, 2026 · F-0600 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors.
Why it matters: Abuse and neglect cause direct physical and emotional harm and are among the most serious failures a nursing home can have.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Mar 29, 2024 (Past Non-Compliance)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Aug 8, 2023 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Sep 22, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Aug 8, 2023 · F-0744 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not provide the right treatment and services for residents with dementia or signs of dementia. Dementia care requires specific approaches, training, and patience.
Why it matters: Poor dementia care can lead to distress, unsafe wandering, or unnecessary sedating medication.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Sep 19, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (30)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not allow residents to take their own medications when a clinical review showed they could do so safely. Residents have this right if their care team determines it's appropriate. · from a complaint |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide proper care for pressure ulcers (bedsores) or did not do enough to prevent new ones from forming. Bedsores develop when residents stay in one position too long without help moving. · from a complaint |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide appropriate care related to bladder and bowel needs — including care for residents who use catheters and steps to prevent urinary tract infections. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide enough food and fluids to keep residents healthy, such as preventing unplanned weight loss or dehydration. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe and appropriate respiratory care — such as oxygen, breathing treatments, or care for residents on breathing equipment — for residents who needed it. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not prepare and serve food in a form that meets each resident's individual needs — for example, chopped, pureed, or softened food for residents with chewing or swallowing problems. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Feb 20, 2026 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors. · from a complaint |
| Apr 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation. · from a complaint |
| Mar 1, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide proper care for pressure ulcers (bedsores) or did not do enough to prevent new ones from forming. Bedsores develop when residents stay in one position too long without help moving. |
| Mar 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop or follow a complete care plan for each resident — the written roadmap covering all of a resident's needs, with measurable goals and timelines. · from a complaint |
| Mar 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the help residents need with basic daily activities — like bathing, dressing, eating, and using the bathroom — for residents who cannot do these things on their own. · from a complaint |
| Mar 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the care needed to maintain or improve residents' movement and flexibility — such as range-of-motion exercises — leading to avoidable decline. |
| Mar 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
| Mar 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication. · from a complaint |
| Mar 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Aug 8, 2023 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
| Aug 8, 2023 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not provide the right treatment and services for residents with dementia or signs of dementia. Dementia care requires specific approaches, training, and patience. · from a complaint |
| Aug 8, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do. · from a complaint |
| Aug 8, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make sure that paid feeding assistants — staff hired to help residents eat and drink — had the training they need. · from a complaint |
| Sep 3, 2021 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do. |
| Sep 3, 2021 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Sep 3, 2021 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make its inspection results easy for residents to see, or made it hard for residents to contact advocacy agencies like the ombudsman. |
| Sep 3, 2021 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs. |
| Sep 3, 2021 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. |
| Sep 3, 2021 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not prepare and serve food in a form that meets each resident's individual needs — for example, chopped, pureed, or softened food for residents with chewing or swallowing problems. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (7 → 11).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | E |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 | J ▲ |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | E |
| 2026 | 12 | 1 | J ▲ |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
1 fine totaling $14,020.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 2026 | Fine | $14,020 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | New York avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.53 | 3.58 | 3.95 | top 12% in New York; top 22% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.31 | 0.68 | 0.69 | bottom 4% in New York; bottom 11% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.62 | 3.13 | 3.50 | top 22% in New York; top 37% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.10 | 0.48 | 0.48 | bottom 1% in New York; bottom 1% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 0.0 | 40.3 | 45.8 | — |
| RN turnover (%) | 0.0 | 39.8 | 42.9 | — |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 4.05, RN 0.28, weekend 3.24. Staffing rating: 2/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 3/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briggs, Maxine | Individual | W-2 Managing Employee | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/01/2019 |
| Calarco, Frances | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2022 |
| Carman, Thomas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2010 |
| Hochgraf, Chris | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| McLaughlin, Carl | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2017 |
| O'Connor, Linda | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2022 |
| Ormsby, Barry | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2017 |
| Purington, Sam | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2016 |
| Schmitt, Melissa | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2021 |
| Treadwell-Woods, Joan | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2010 |
| Valentine, Tracy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2021 |
| Vars, Addison | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2018 |
| Walton, Peter | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2010 |
| Wardwell Donahue, Mary | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2018 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Tell me about this abuse or neglect citation — what happened, and what specific changes did you make afterward?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "What specific dementia training do your staff receive, and how do you handle difficult moments without medication?"
- "Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
- "If my family member is able to manage their own medications, would you allow it, and how is that decided?"
- "How do you prevent bedsores for residents who can't move themselves, and how often are at-risk residents repositioned?"
- "How do you care for residents with incontinence or catheters, and what do you do to prevent urinary tract infections?"
- "How do you monitor residents' weight and eating, and what happens when someone starts losing weight?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samaritan Senior Village, INC | 1.5 mi | Watertown, NY | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Carthage Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing | 16.1 mi | Carthage, NY | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 |
Compare this facility with the 2 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 335431.